Motor vehicle



July 7, 1925. 1,544,775

' J. PLOCEK MOTOR VEHICLE FiledvFeb. 19; 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. PLOCEK MOTOR VEHICLE July 7,1925.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Filed Feb. 19, 1925 Patented July 7, 19 25.

- UNITED STATES PATIENT OFFICE.

Josnr rLocEx, or PILSEN, CZECHOSLOVAKIA.

Moron VEHICLE.

I Application filed February 19,1925. Serial No. 10,423.-

To all wkom'it may concern:

Be it known that'I, JosEr Export, of Czechoslovakian nationality, and residing at Pilsen, Korandova 111. -.No. 2, Czechoslovakia, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Motor Vehicles, of which the, following is a specification. x v In motor vehicles intended for travelling at high speed in either direction the problem of steeringand of. rapidly altering the direction of motion has hitherto notbeen solved.

Y. The subject of the present invention is a motor vehicle with twosteering axles, in which each axle is steered .by independent steering means, one or other of the two steering gears being locked by a locking mechanism according to'the direction of travel, the'arrangement being such that the that with the reversal of the steering through 90 with respect to the steering gear, so as to give a clear picture of the mode of operation. a

Figure 1 shows a motor vehicle for travelling in the direction'indicated by the arrow A and Figural shows diagrammatically the relative position of the-gear wheels. 1n the gear box for a direction of travel as in Figure 1. Figure 2 shows the same motor vehicle wit the steering mechanism set for travelling in the direction indicated by the arrow B and Figure 2*.shows diagrammatr cally the-corresponding setting'of the gear wheels in the gear box. Figures 3 and 4 arejdetails of the locking mechanism of the steering gear. y

In the figures the same parts are given the same reference numbers, 1, 1' being the.

/ steering, wheels; 2, 2' the steering spindles;

3, 3' the nut of the steering screw; 4, 5,1 6, 4', 5, 6' a three-armed lever capable of turning round the fixed pin 9,9; 7, 7' a connecting bar which connects the lever arm 5, 5'

to the steering stub shaft 8, 8; 10, 10' look-- ing blocks, which look the lever arm 5, 5', when in the locking position. The lockmg when the steering gearis reversed.

block10 is connected by means of a connecting bar-1 1 to the hand lever 13 and the looking block 10bymeans of a connecting bar 12 to the hand lever 14, both hand wheels 13 and 14 being'also interconnected by a connecting bar 15'. The hand lever 13 is in addition connected by means of a connecting bar 16 to a'pairof gear wheels 17 inthe gear box 20. v

The steering arrangement operates in the following manner: .WVhen the vehicle is to travel in the direction indicated by the arrow A (Fig. 1), the lever 13 is thrown back in the direction indicated by. the "arrow C and the connecting bars 11 and 16 will displace the locking block 10 and the pair of gear wheels 17. Simultaneously with thethrowing back of the lever 13 the lever 14- will be thrown back,'as the two levers are ing bar 15 and the'locking block 10 will be forced against theslever 5 of the threecourse to be brought into such a position that the locking block 10" can "be .pushed positively connected together by the connect- I armed lever-4', 5, 6', the lever 5' havingof aside. With the hand levers in this position the steering'wheel 1 is free to turn. and is the front steering wheelfor this direction of travel. One gear Wheel of the pair of gear wheels 17 meshes with the. gear wheel 18 on the countershaft'and consequently the vehicle will automatically be caused to move in the direction indicated by the arrow A If the-direction of travel of the vehicle is to he suddenly reversed, for instance when the vehicle is in a narrow lane not allowing of the vehicle being turned, the wheels which were up to then turned laterally by the steering gear by turning the hand wheel 1,

are brought into the normal central posi-' tion, as shown in Figure 2, and consequently also the arm 5 of the three-armed lever 4, 5,

6. The .lever .13-is thereupon thrown back into the direction indicated by the ,arrow D and the steering gear 19 locked byi'the locking block 10 being slid on to the lever arm 5. The movement of the lever 13 will at the same time have displaced the pair of gear wheels 17 in the gear box, so that one wheel of the pair will mesh with the gear wheel 19, thus causing the direction of travel of the vehicle to be changed to that indicated by the-arrow B. By the lever 13 being thrown back the lever 14 is also positively thrownback and the connecting bar i back-the locking 12 attached to the latter lever will draw block 10, thus releasing the steering gear 1'--9'.

In Figures 3 and4 the locking mechanism is shownin detail. The'nut 3 of the steerin screw is silidable in a'casing 23 and is sli therein by means of the steering screw 22, which is turned by means of the spindle 2 of the steering wheel 1. In the nut 3 of the steering screw there is a hall and socket 5, 6. The three-armed lever is adapted to turn on the fixed pin 9. The arm 6 of the three-armed lever transmits its motion .by means 'of the connecting bar 7 to the steering stub shaft 8. On the end of the third arm 5 of the three-armed lever there is a .helmet shaped piece 25, on' to] which the locking blbck 10 is adapted to be pushed, which is guided in the casing 21 forming one piece with the casing 23 or fixed to the same.

The piece 25 on the locking lever is made 5 wedge-shaped'and the locking-block 10 has a wedge-shaped recess. By the two parts having this shape, the block can, even if the steering gear has not been brought into its central position, he slid on to the piece 25 by means of the hand lever 13, whereby the steering gear and with it the front wheels are brought into the central position. In Figure 3 the steering gear is shown in the locked state and in Figure 4 in the'unsecured state. Obviously the locking meansmay be modified in many ways and the levers 13 and 14 might be united into a-single lever.

What I claim is h 1. A motor vehiclepapable of travelling in either direction, comprising, in combination with a main driving gear an additiona1 driving gear, two steering axles, separate steering means for'the steering axles, means for simultaneously locking the steering means of one steering axle and unlocking those of the other steering axle and means for operating the locking means and for simultaneously therewith displacing the-additional driving gear, which causes the direction of travel to be reversed, as set ,forth.

2. A motor vehicle capable of travelling in either direction, comprismg 1n combination with a main driving gear an addition? a1 driving gear, two steering axlesfsep'arate steering means for the steering axles, means for simultaneously locking the steering means vof one steering axle and unlocking those of the other steering axle, a hand lever for operat- ,to. be reversed, and a shaft, on'which the joint 24, which is in operative connection. withthe arm 4' of the three-armed lever 4:,

connected to the hand lever, whilst the other locking member'is connected to the. steering means in such amanner as to be capable of -following the movements of the steering.

means, when the two locking members are not operatively connected together and of locking the said steering means, when the two locking members are in' operative con.-

nection, as and for the pur ose set forth.

4. A motor'vehicle capa le of travelling in either direction, as claimed in claim 2, and in which the means for locking the steering means are constituted by two lockmg members, one of which is permanently locking member is connected to the steering means m such a manner as to be capable of followlng the movements of -.the steering connected to the hand lever, whilst the other means, when the two locking members are not operatively connected togethenand of locking the said steering means, when the twolocking members are in operative connection, the two locking members being so shaped that, even when out of alinement with each other, they can be brought into 1 operative connection with each other, whereby the steering means and the steerin axles are brought lnto theircentral position,- as

. set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOSEF PLOCEK. Witnesses:

JUs'rnN RoHAE,

R. WANKEEL 

